Judge Blocks Georgia Immigration Law

”HB 87 is state regulation of immigration. Section 8 attempts an end-run – not around federal criminal law – but around federal statutes defining the role of state and local officers in immigration enforcement….[B]oth the United States government and several foreign nations have expressed concern about the international relations impact of HB 87.

“In reference to HB 87, the President of the United States stated that “[i]t is a mistake for states to try to do this piecemeal. We can’t have 50 different immigration laws around the country.”…Mexico has also filed an amicus brief registering its concern that HB 87 will impede bilateral negotiations, hinder trade and tourism, and damage diplomatic relations between the United States and Mexico….

“These international relations underscore the conflict between HB 87 and federal immigration law. The conflict is not a purely speculative and indirect impact on immigration. It is direct and immediate…..”

U.S. District Judge Tom Thrash writing in a temporary injunction blocking 21 of 23 sections of Georgia’s new immigration law. The entire 45-page ruling is here. The NYTimes report. The AJC.